FA confirms two-week EPL winter break

June 08, 2018 18:51 IST

Chelsea players including David Luiz (top) celebrate their team's third goal during their Premier League match against Manchester City

IMAGE: Chelsea players including David Luiz (top) celebrate their team's third goal during their Premier League match against Manchester City (Image used for representational purposes). Photograph: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

The English FA, Premier League and English Football League announced on Friday that they would implement a two-week, mid-season break in February from the 2019-20 season onwards.

Premier League matches will still be played every weekend over the period, the FA said in a statement https://www.thefa.com/news/2018/jun/08/mid-season-break-confirmed-080618, with five games being held on the first weekend and five on the second.

"This is a significant moment for English football and one that we believe will greatly benefit both club and country," said FA chief executive Martin Glenn.

"It's no secret that we have a very congested fixture calendar and over recent years we have been working with the whole game to find a solution.

"Today's announcement proves that football can come together for the good of the game."

As a result, FA Cup fifth-round matches will be moved to mid-week and fifth-round replays will be replaced by games which end in a draw going to extra-time and penalties.

The introduction of a winter break brings the English fixture calendar more in line with the top leagues in Germany, France, Italy and Spain.

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